Recently, we had 22 miniature guest chefs on premises at Buck’s T-4. We had the privilege of hosting a field trip for the second graders from Ophir school in Buck’s kitchen. It was one big pizza party where all the students had the opportunity to create personal pizzas.

Doug Starz, Todd’s right hand man in Buck’s pub came up with the idea while reading to his son’s class at Ophir School. He asked if the kids would like to do something different during his reading time in the future and came up with a couple suggestions. The make your own pizza party at Buck’s was a unanimous hit. The children’s teacher, Miss Ellis, found creative ways to incorporate the fieldtrip into her lesson plan.

In preparation for the fieldtrip the kids used pizza toppings to practice their multiplication tables. They also learned about steps in a process, just like when you build a pizza from the crust up. And probably the best lesson was the Pizza Pokey, a twist on the classic Hokey Pokey song. It goes something like, “You put some sauce on, you take some sauce off…” Jayne, the hotel manager, heard all the little voices singing from all over Buck’s property.

Each student was assigned their own chef’s uniform, consisting of a big white apron and a tall chef’s hat. Executive Chef Todd Christensen made up the pizza dough and Doug cut up an assortment of toppings for the children to choose from. Each student made their own personal pizza with the help of Todd and Doug. The best part was having a big party where all the kids enjoyed eating their creations.

“The whole field trip was amazing,” Miss Ellis told me. “I had no idea it would be such a blast. Everyone at Buck’s was so generous with their time and resources. The kids just had a wonderful time.”

When Doug approached Todd and Buck’s Food and Beverage Director Chuck Schommer with the pizza party idea, they were immediately on board. Buck’s is always happy and open to participating in the community in any way it can. Besides, it’s usually a great deal of fun. Just look at these pictures of Todd, Chuck and Doug. Who’s having more fun, the kids or them? Hard to tell if you ask me.